1. Field
The present disclosure relates to vegetation control systems, and particularly vegetation control systems for distribution of chemically-based treatments.
2. Background
For several reasons, controlling and managing the growth of trees and other types of vegetation located near power transmission lines is very important. Dangers can result from uncontrolled and unmanaged growth. For example, just one fallen tree or large tree branch could prevent transmission of electricity to thousands of homes and businesses. Failure to provide electricity to homes and businesses can lead to various other problems, which ultimately stems from failure to control and manage vegetation.
Because of the large potential impact of failing to properly control and manage vegetation, federal and state standards mandate that utility companies maintain sufficient clearances between vegetation and power transmission lines. To meet and/or exceed these standards, many utility companies implement vegetation management plans. Some plans specify monitoring vegetation growth and periodic trimming of vegetation located along pathways, which can in some cases span and reach tens of thousands of miles.
To address the full span and reach of these pathways of vegetation, utility companies spend millions of dollars implementing vegetation management plans and using transitory vegetation control systems.
One negative aspect associated with the cost and implementation of these plans and systems results from systems using sharp-edged components. Whether manually or remotely used by an operator, sharp-edged components such as saw blades must be used by highly-skilled operators who can quickly and efficiently navigate around power lines. However, regardless of their level of skill, the use of sharp-edged components still results in unavoidable issues. For example, injury can result from fallen debris, power lines could be accidentally cut, etc.
Some vegetation control systems have proposed chemically-treating vegetation. A few known systems have even specified the use of chemical-treatments. However, these systems are known for liberal and uncontrolled distribution of vegetation control products such as herbicides. The use of these types of systems can therefore result in unwanted and inadvertent treatment over areas which are not considered problematic.
Despite these potential issues, many utility companies find using chemical-treatments very effective. Treatments can be tailored to affect specific types of vegetation, which can generally reduce re-sprouting by effective treatment of entire plant families. Application of treatments can also be phased in over time to coordinate with expected growth patterns. Moreover, using chemical-treatments alone can also avoid various issues and costs associated with using sharp-edge components.
For these reasons among others, there is a clear need for improved vegetation control systems designed for distribution of chemically-based treatments. The present invention fulfills this need and provides further related advantages, as described in the following summary.